Category Archives: Recipes

Last July, my friend Kate of Snowflake Kitchen, put a call out to us locals about her abundance of green walnuts from the tree on her property. She had plans to make Nocino and thought we may want to give it a try. Yes, please! I was in her neighborhood when she wasn’t home, so I felt like a bit of thief as I foraged a bag of the green nuts, but homemade booze is worth the possible embarrassment of her neighbors calling the police.

A photo posted by Kate (@snowflakekitchen) on Jul 28, 2015 at 8:41am PDT

I used David Lebovitz’s recipe, minus the cloves, and shook my jars once a day for about three months. It looks like witches’ brew at first, very green and possible toxic, but then changes to a rich brown, deep green.

I strained the liquid from the jars and it has the consistency of a light syrup and smells nutty and warm. I sampled a small glass and it’s definitely potent. I like Mr. Lebovitz’s idea of a topping for ice cream… that will definitely be in my future.

There is something about creating an enjoyable drink or food from items you gather from your yard, a friend’s yard, local farmers, or the woods (if you’re daring and safe) that feels inevitable and right. I’ll have a part two of the walnut saga as I attempt to make black walnut bitters from the same nuts that have completely ripened. My goal is to make something like this. It’s good to have goals…

Happy Summer, yo! This season, I’ve been trying to use my garden in different ways than I have in the past to create fresh food and treats. Last week, I snagged people’s pops at the library. It’s a book of 55 recipes from a pop shop in Brooklyn, NY. Excellent summer inspiration… In the past… Continue Reading

Happy Monday! I’m excited to say that I’ve created my first jar (and a half) of jam. We scored a bag of peaches from our CSA last week and I’m not a big fan of eating them as is. Hubby and the boys have been enjoying them in their natural state, but I needed to… Continue Reading

Cooking and exploring food has been a passion of mine for many years. I used to bake all kinds of things from a very early age because my mom refused that chore. To me, it was a pleasure. There is no other feeling like conquering a complicated recipe in a fearless way. A blog that… Continue Reading